Traditional light sources are typically rigid structures and are not flexible. Moreover, these types of traditional light sources contain electronics which further adds to their rigidity. Therefore, in applications where a flat light source is required to conform to a neighbouring surface, this lack of flex limits the degree of conformability. Traditional light sources that do flex have been found to be prone to breaking (or disconnecting from electronics) when folded past a certain angle.
Light can be used to treat a wide variety of diseases. When light alone is used to treat a disease, the treatment is referred to as phototherapy. Light may be used in conjunction with a pharmaceutical in which case the treatment is called photodynamic therapy.
Phototherapy and photodynamic therapy can be used to treat a variety of skin and internal diseases. In photodynamic therapy, a light-sensitive therapeutic agent known as a photopharmaceutical is supplied externally or internally to an area of the body which is to be treated. That area is then exposed to light of a suitable frequency and intensity to activate the photopharmaceutical. A variety of photopharmaceutical agents are currently available. For example there are topical agents such as 5-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride (Crawford Pharmaceuticals), methylaminolevulinic acid (Metfix (Trade Mark), Photocure). Often, the drug is applied in a non-active form that is metabolised to a light-sensitive photopharmaceutical.
In photodynamic therapy, the primary technique for supplying light to the photopharmaceutical is to project light of a suitable wavelength from standalone light sources such as lasers or filtered arc lamps. These sources are cumbersome and expensive, and are therefore only suitable for use in hospitals. This leads to inconvenience for the patient, and high cost for the treatment. High light irradiances are needed in order to treat an acceptable number of patients per day (for the treatment to be cost effective) and to avoid unduly inconveniencing the patient.
It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one or more of the aforementioned problems.
It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide apparatus capable of providing therapeutic and/or cosmetic treatment and wherein the apparatus is capable of adapting and/or conforming to a non-planar surface on a patient's body.
It is a yet further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide medical apparatus comprising a light source and electronics wherein said medical apparatus is capable of adapting and/or conforming to a non-planar surface on a patient's body.